The present invention pertains generally to wireless communication systems and, more particularly, to a method and system of communication between a mobile client device and a wireless wide area network image output system.
Users of mobile devices such as a laptop, personal data assistant, or cellular telephone can often access information over the Internet. However, to print this information, the users of these devices usually need to have an image output system physically connected to the client device, or the user must pre-store the document on an Internet-based storage that can only be accessed by special types of peripheral devices.
Mobile client devices are typically equipped with communications systems to communicate with a broad variety of other devices, ranging from a web server to an image output system. Such communications systems may incorporate connections involving IEEE 802.11x (Wi-Fi) or Bluetooth wireless networks. These technologies allow users using a mobile client device, such as notebook computers, personal digital assistants, or cellular telephones to connect wirelessly to the peripheral and initiate a print job or other output function. However, these mobile client devices do not provide a method or system for printing documents while at a remote location.
Furthermore, these mobile client devices are often limited to the type of communications channel they can establish with an image output system. While this may be suitable for a client device residing solely within a single installation, this is not suitable for a user who travels between installations and is desirous of printing while away from his or her office. A method and/or system allowing a mobile client device to communicate with an image output system from anywhere in the world provides much needed flexibility for the mobile user.
Thus a method, system and apparatus that bring total mobile printing capability to a mobile user by combining three different wireless technologies with a mobile client device and allow a user to print a document from any location is needed.